Rabbit Stick: 2010

My family and I love to travel. Visiting new places is one of my favorite things to do, as well as learning about them.

Every year, there is a gathering called Rabbitstick in Rexburg, Idaho where people come from far and wide to practice the ancient method of living practiced by the Native Americans, and Prehistoric man. This includes traditional ways of hunting, trapping, gathering plants and herbs, fire making, tool making, shelter making, and crafts.

In the week I was at Rabbitstick, I learned skills that made me feel independent and prepared.

One of the most important skills I learned at Rabbitstick was how to set a certain type of trap called the Paiute deadfall. A deadfall is a type of trap that crushes the animal. This particular deadfall is named after a Native American tribe.

My favorite thing I learned at Rabbitstick was fire making. There are a few different ways of making fire, including flint and steel, the hand drill, the bow drill, fire plow, the magnifying glass, and others. Fire keeps you warm and safe, cooks food, and if you are lost, it can signal help.

I also really liked learning about making shelter. Shelter protects you from the elements. It gives you a feeling of security. There are many types of shelters, just like there are many types of houses. I like making a certain shelter that requires a tarp and rope, but is quick and easy to make.

Another thing I learned at Rabbitstick was ways of collecting water. One strategy is called the solar still. It works like this: The water from the plants or moist dirt is trying to evaporate, but is caught on a tarp or piece of plastic. The moisture on the tarp condenses, then falls into a cup. I find it interesting that you can use the sun to get water!

Since we cannot always be sure certain water is clean, there are a few ways of purifying it, such as a natural filter made out of a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off, and grass, dirt, rocks, sticks, in it. To use it, you simply pour water in the bottom (when it's upsidedown), and then you wait until the relatively clean water comes out the top.

A fun part about Rabbitstick is that the big community fire in the middle of camp is always being tended to, and people are usually around it talking to eachother. There is also a lot of warm sunshine and dry weather in that area, so there's many grasshoppers hopping around camp.

At Rabbitstick there is a big variety of people--people that live in differnt countries, people that have all sorts of beliefs. They come in tipis, tents, and campers. It is a good place to socialize.

Learning about skills is not the only exciting thing that happens at Rabbitstick. There are also other activities, like the Raffle, the Trade Blanket, and the Welcoming Circle. The Trade Blanket is where people trade special goods that they have been collecting or making all week or even all year, for other objects.

The Welcoming Circle is where newcomers introduce themselves.

The Raffle is always exciting!

The skills I have shared in this report are just some of the many things you can learn at Rabbitstick. That's why I am so excited to go back next year and learn some more!